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Monday, November 4, 2013

80-Year-Old Man Survives After Falling Off a Cliff While Fighting a Bear

The Guardian reports that Yusuf Alchagirov, an 80-year-old Russian shepherd, was minding his own business in a raspberry field when he was attacked by a large, hungry bear. Rather than let the predator get the best of him, Alchagirov counter-attacked. Despite his age, the octogenarian managed to knock the bear off-balance with a flurry of kicks and headbutts.

Unfortunately, this beating failed to phase (sic) the furry attacker and the bear responded by knocking the shepherd off a nearby cliff. According to the Guardian, Alchagirov was hospitalised with “bruises, bite wounds and four broken ribs,” but avoided a potentially lethal mauling.

He would have been 9-12 years old between 1942-1945. It's certainly not unheard of for younger boys to lie about their age to join up and fight in large wars, and I'm sure in Russia there would be no exception to this, but kids who do this are usually 13-15 and can pass for being older. Doubtful he would have been involved in active combat, but he certainly would have been around to learn a thing or two from guys who did....